14th Annual Marco Polo Award Ceremony, held in Zagreb, Croatia on 2nd of December
Traditional 14th Marco Polo Award Ceremony 2024 for the best travel reportages was held in Zagreb, Croatia on 2nd of December, the date Fijet founded. Celebreting 2 Anniversaries, 70 Years of Fijet promoting tourism in the world and 60 years of Fijet Croatia serving international and domestic tourism . The Marco Polo Event was held in the great Advent atmosphere. We are happy that Fijet international members are with us: Tijani Haddad, the President, Delal Atamdede from Turkey, Philip and Kaliope Nicolaides from Cyprus, Maja Zagoricnik and Iztok Skofic from Slovenia, Jacques Campe from France and Drago Bulc from Slovenian Association of Travel Journalists. Big thanks to them for participating our Event.
The Event brings together guests of honor, sponsors, partners, awarded journalists, Fijet international tourism journalists and many Fijet Croatian journalists and members. The role of awards and public recognition is important. Awards do not only acknowledge success, they recognise many other qualities. An media award helps a winner stand out for excellence in the media industry, given the contributions and impact awards that have on journalists, especially regional, local tourism.
The Fijet Journalists Award Committee, composed by respectable Croatian journalists Ante Gavranovic, Zeljko Zutelija, Jadranka Rilovic, Marija Baric and Branko Uvodic have recognized excellent achievements in travel journalism in Croatia, selecting and awarding the best coleagues and making a great job. The first prize Marko Polo Grand Prix for domestic travel articles is given to Mr. Bozo Skoko and Zvonimir Frka Petesic, the authors of one excellent book „ Croatia in 30 stories“, what many international tourists and vistour bought during the stay or holiday in Croatia. The first prize Marco Polo Grand Prix for international journalist , is given to Maja Zagoricnik and Iztok Skofic, the authors of TV Film about Tunisia as a host country for Fijet Congress held in 2023.
Philip Nicolaides is awarded by MP Plaques for the best reportages about Zagreb, th host City. He visited Zagreb in 2023, making 9 excellent reportages about the city and its tourism value. See the attachment and bellow!
Six Marco Polo medals „Marco Polo“ went to domestic journalists for the excellence, to journalists who published travel articles, stories of Croatian regions, people, customs and traditions, undiscovered and interesting destinations, to be used by tourism professionals as an incentive for new content, tourism offer or as motivation for tourists and media promotion of new tourism products and content, specially in the new trends and conditions of tourism future. See the attachment and bellow!In 2020 Fijet Croatia launched the award for the Tolerance, to those who champion and live tolerance within their communities and across the globe as a means of fostering intercultural communication, underscoring the importance of tolerance open dialogue achieving world peace based on universal human values. 
Fijet Tolerance Award 2024 was given to Ms. Sandra Paovic, International Paralympic Gold Medals winner. See the attachment and bellow! We would like to take a minute and congratulate all the winners of Marco Polo for the well deserved awards. It is extremely important to be grateful to our sponsors to ensure that things go smoothly in the MP project: Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Media, Croatian Tourist Office,Tourist Offices Zagreb and Korcula,Croatia Airlines, Hotel Esplanade, Nimco Company, Tourist Office St. Ivan Zelina, Donators – Serdar Foundation, Abi Shalabi Foundation and Pavo Jerkovic and Villa Neretva Foundation.
Special thanks to great musiciens Voljen and Vivian Grbac, Paula and Djelo Jusic, Marija Vidovic, Mirko Svenda and Toni Eeterovic, as well as our Media sponsor “Vecernji Daily News”. Our thanks are going to all our honoured guests, partners and Fijet Croatia members who joined us at the Ceremony, as well as to Fijet International Journalists who joined us in Zagreb: Looking forward to the next Event! The list of Laureates 
MARCO POLO AWARD CEREMONY 2024
14th “Marko Polo” award ceremony for the best international and domestic travelogues, contributions to tourism journalism and thanks to all partners and sponsors who have supported this event for these 14 years.
70 years of Fijet
60 years of the Tourist Journalists’ Section
19 years of the Fijet Croatia Association
14 years of the Marco Polo Award Ceremony
FOREIGN JOURNALISTS AWARDED IN THE PERIOD FROM 2010 TO 2024
1.JIM THOMPSON, USA
2.PLAMEN STAREV, BULGARIA
3.GIAN PAOLO BONOMI, ITALY
4.LUIS NUNEZE LADAVEZE, SPAIN
- MARIA PAREDES, USA AND SOUTH AMERICA
- GEORGES YOUNES, LEBANON
- KAMENKO MILENKOVIĆ, SERBIA
- MARIA DEL MAR GARCIA AQUILO, SPAIN
- GILBERT MENNE, BELGIUM
10.STEFAN BACIU, ROMANIA
11.ALBINA PODBEVŠEK, SLOVENIA
12.SISSI MUNZ, AUSTRIA (2023)
DOMESTIC JOURNALISTS AWARDED IN THE PERIOD FROM 2010 TO 2024
- STIPE CHRISTMAS
- JASEN BOKO
- MERI ŠILOVIĆ
- PAUL BRADBURY
- MATEJ PERKOV
- SAŠA PJANIĆ
- ŠIME STRIKOMAN (IN PRESENCE)
- IVO PERVAN
- ASHLEY COLBURN
- RADMILA KOVAČEVIĆ
- GORAN MILIĆ
- ŽELJKO ŽUTELIJA
- DARIA MARJANOVIĆ
- VESNA JURIĆ RUKAVINA ( 2023)
2024 SPECIAL AWARDS MARCO POLO
MARIJA CRNJAK, JUTARNJI LIST “For an exceptional contribution to tourism journalism”
NIKOLA BARAKA, CROATIAN TRAVEL FESTIVAL ŠIBENIK “For an exceptional contribution to the promotion of tourist travelogues with inspiring stories about the journeys of travel writers, travelers and people who are part of their careers and lives”
ADVENTURE FESTIVAL “MATE SVJETSKI, VRGORAC ” For the annual meeting of world travelers, travel writers, adventurers, adventurers and all lovers of travel”
JERKO SLADOLJEV “For an exceptional contribution to the promotion and development of camping tourism”
LOVINAC TOURIST FORUM “For organizing the Oxygene concert at Tulove Grede on Majstorska cesta, a unique musical event on one of the most fascinating Croatian historical, natural and cultural rarities
JASMINA MRKONJA “For exceptional media communication in promoting Rastoke as one of the world’s most beautiful villages, declared in 2023
This year too, we are awarding special awards for the contribution in connecting culture and tourism.
DALMATIAN KLAPA FESTIVAL OMIŠ “For special merits in promoting, preserving, popularizing and developing the musical culture of klapa songs in Croatia
DAGMAR MENEGHELLO “For the successful connection and promotion of culture and tourism”
AWARDS “PLAQUE WITH THE IMAGE OF MARCO POLO” for the best domestic reports and travelogues published in 2023/2024
PHILIP NICOLAIDES “For the series of reports published about Zagreb” (For the best stories about Zagreb a host city of Marco Polo Event)
MIRO GAVRAN “For his exceptional contribution to the promotion of Croatian culture and literature in the world, as the most translated and most performed Croatian playwright.
FRANO HERENDIJA “For the magazine In Love with Konavle, which covers stories about the cultural and historical heritage of Konavle, customs and traditions, past and present”
MAJA ZLOKIĆ “For tourist stories and reports from hidden and authentic destinations with traditional events, published in the magazine Croatia Hot Spots
RADE POPADIĆ “For the project of authentic stories Pečat od vrimena, which in a unique way depicts life in the Dalmatian hinterland, published on the Video portal Dalmacija Danas
MIRJAM JUKIĆ ” For a series of authentic stories from Croatia, especially continental ones, published on the Turističke priče/ HRTurizam portal
SENKA VLAHOVIĆ ” For the report Osijek romantic, relaxed and self-effacing city on the Drava, published on the website Putovanja HR
MARKO POLO / GRAND PRIX
BOŽO SKOKO AND ZVONIMIR FRKA PETEŠIĆ “For the book Croatia in 30 Stories, which tells about Croatian identity, way of life, peculiarities, similarities and differences with other European nations, presenting all the best that Croatia has and offers”
MAJA ZAGORIČNIK AND IZTOK ŠKOFIĆ ” For a TV film about Tunisia, the host country of the Fijeta congress in 2023.
FIJET TOLERANCE – an award established by Fijet in 2020 for a life of tolerance and mutual understanding of diversity, which is its mission
SANDRA PAOVIĆ “For the exceptional promotion of tolerance and understanding of diversity through sport”
ZADAR TOLERANCE FESTIVAL “To promote intercultural dialogue and understanding of diversity through films, exhibitions and various educational content”.
Fijet in the promotion and development of tourism reports, doyens of tourism journalism, who will be awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards.
ANTE GAVRANOVIĆ “For the doyen of tourism journalism and founder of Fijet Croatia, launched in the former state”
TINA ETEROVIĆ ČUBRILO “For the key contribution to the development of tourism journalism and the affirmation of Fijet in promoting destinations and excellence in the media, culture and tourism”
TOURIST BOARD OF MEĐIMURJE COUNTY “For exceptional contribution and partnership in the implementation of Fijet Croatia projects”
CROATIAN ASSOCIATION OF CONGRESS TOURISM PROFESSIONALS “For exceptional contribution and partnership in the implementation of Fijet Croatia projects”. 
Special thanks to the patrons, sponsors, donors and partners who have contributed to the Marco Polo project since the beginning: the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Zagreb City Tourist Board, the City and Korčula Tourist Board, the Zagreb County Tourist Board, Večernji list, Hotel Esplanade, and our donors, the Serdar Foundation, Abi and Mira Shalabi, Villa Neretva and Pavo Jerković.
This year, additionally, to the Sveti Ivan Zelina Tourist Board for the organization and donation of wine and champagne: Vina Puhelek Purek.- Zelinska Kraljevina, Rex and sparkling wine Kraljica. Thank to all members who contribute to the activities of our Association.
2nd of December, 2024
FIJET CROATIA
